Apple Computer plans to unleash a 17-inch version of its MacBook Pro professional notebook by the time its World Wide Developers Conference rolls around in June, AppleInsider has discovered.

The new flagship model, which will based around a 17-inch widescreen display and feature at least a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor, is expected to round-out Apple's MacBook Pro product line.

Despite optimism from some of Apple's current 12-inch PowerBook customers, a 12-inch MacBook Pro model has yet to surface on Apple's product roadmap, reliable sources have told AppleInsider.

These sources say the 17-inch MacBook Pro has been penciled-in for a release at or around Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference, which has historically taken place around June.

Still, there remains the possibility that the high-end Apple notebook could be pushed out the door a bit earlier this Spring. Recent reports indicate that the developmental progress of 17-inch MacBook Pro is on par with that of Apple's Intel-based iBooks, which are widely rumored for a release by April.

One factor that may prohibit an earlier release of the 17-inch MacBook Pro is the lack of an 8x SuperDrive thin enough to fit in the notebook's enclosure, which is reportedly just as slim as the 15-inch model.

Due to its sleek industrial design, the MacBook Pro requires 9.5mm thick SuperDrives rather than the 12mm drives used in Apple's previous line of PowerBook G4 notebooks. Each of the company's 15-inch MacBook Pro models includes only a 4x SuperDrive because an 8x 9.5mm version of the drive is not yet available in production quantities.

According to AppleInsider's proprietary checks, a slot-loading version of the 8x SuperDrive suitable for the MacBook Pro is slated for customer shipments beginning in May. It's unclear if Apple will add an 8x SuperDrive option to the 15-inch MacBook Pro at this time or reserve the feature for a later revision of the notebook.

Nevertheless, expectations for Apple's Intel Macs -- and more specifically its Intel notebooks -- are running high in the Far East. Citing Taiwan PC manufacturers as a source, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News this week said Apple stands to ship as many as 10 million Intel Macs this year. The publication refined these predictions on Friday, citing sources who estimated that 6 million of those Macs will be notebook computers.

A video-on-demand movie service from WALT DISNEY CO. introduced the first delivery service for high-definition films to U.S. homes. With top Hollywood and Silicon Valley partners, MovieBeam said it plans to offer first-run films from six of the seven film studios in standard digital-video format and high-definition films from Disney and Warner Bros. studios. The video-on-demand service is aimed at heavy movie renters and initially will be offered in 29 U.S. cities, at prices competitive with renting the same movie at video retailer BLOCKBUSTER INC. Some movies will be made available at the same time as they come out on DVD, MovieBeam said. "They appear to be ready to deliver true high-definition movies. That's a breakthrough," said Gerry Kaufhold analyst In-Stat/MDR. MovieBeam appeared to have run out of steam when Disney took a $24 million write-down on the company last summer. It was revived last month with a $48.5 million cash infusion from Disney, CISCO SYSTEMS INC., INTEL CORP. and three venture capital firms. MovieBeam bypasses network bottle-necks through a technology called "datacasting," which broadcasts up to 10 new movies a week to subscribers using an exclusive transmission deal to send data signals over the Public Broadcasting System network.Reuters 12:37 PM ET 02/14/2006

MacBook Pro, MacBook Express, MacBook Extreme, MacBook Nano, MacBook Mini, MacBook Quad, MacBook Plus, MacBook SE/30, MacBook U2 Edition... it's hard to say where it could end. Now we can never be sure there's not a new category of laptop just around the corner.

I'm still not sure I like the idea that Apple switched to the slimmer drives if it means getting lower performing units. As it is, slot loaders seem hard enough to come by. I wonder if this will affect the ability to upgrade to the next generation optical media units.

That said, I am in tune with the other side, I don't write DVDs very often. I've never bothered with a dual layered disc, and usually the speed doesn't matter because I can do other things while the computer is writing. In that view, it doesn't seem to be a big issue.

Originally posted by JeffDMThat said, I am in tune with the other side,I don't write DVDs very often, I've never bothered with a dual layered disc, and speed doesn't always matter because I can do other things while the computer is writing. In that view, it doesn't seem to be a big issue.

There's so few brands of DVD that the Apple drives will actually write at 8x or even 4x anyway that it rarely matters. I've found Verbatim are the only brand that reliably gets full speed and those aren't as common to find in stores as other brands and often a little pricier.

I have two stacks of disk. Verbatim for when I'm in a hurry and a cheap no-name brand that was half the price but will only write at 2x.

I expect the 17" MacBook Pro will be named MacBook Pro HD. We saw hints at HD PowerBooks previously, but with the underpowered G4 processor there was probably no way to play back HD content so the name was scrapped. Now that the Core Duo Macs have X1600 GPUs and have excellent QuickTime framerates an HD MacBook is not out of the question.

Originally posted by nagrommeThere might not even be a MacBook, just different kinds OF MacBook.

MacBook Pro, MacBook Express, MacBook Extreme, MacBook Nano, MacBook Mini, MacBook Quad, MacBook Plus, MacBook SE/30, MacBook U2 Edition... it's hard to say where it could end. Now we can never be sure there's not a new category of laptop just around the corner.

I have no doubt that Apple will release a MacBook(iBook) computer. The simple fact is that the EDU market is a large percentage of the computers that Apple ships. I have two very close friends that work on the Mac Team in my local public school system, keeping things running etc., and many of the computers used in these schools are iBooks. Apple would not have used the name MacBook Pro if there was not going to be a MacBook. The "extreme, nano, plus" and others are not something that Apple is likely to explore. While it may work for other products such as the iPod, we aren't talking about handheld media devices. We are talking about portable computers that will be used by millions world wide. The MacBook is on its way, and I can hardly wait...

Originally posted by opnsourceI have no doubt that Apple will release a MacBook(iBook) computer. The simple fact is that the EDU market is a large percentage of the computers that Apple ships. I have two very close friends that work on the Mac Team in my local public school system, keeping things running etc., and many of the computers used in these schools are iBooks. Apple would not have used the name MacBook Pro if there was not going to be a MacBook. The "extreme, nano, plus" and others are not something that Apple is likely to explore. While it may work for other products such as the iPod, we aren't talking about handheld media devices. We are talking about portable computers that will be used by millions world wide. The MacBook is on its way, and I can hardly wait...

Originally posted by deepkidIt's quaint how the name "macbook" doesn't sound as obtuse as it did upon introduction.

But I happen to believe that this 12" powerbook is one of the best laptops ever offered.

If this size format will no longer be offered with pro features, let's hope that the replacement product is sufficient enough to satisfy the many of us who are mad about little tanks.

I agree..! I'm just waiting to see what's next in that size 12 or 13.3" compare them and get it over with.. I want portability, but after posting about sub vs regular notebooks everybody seems to agree that the 12" is the perfect one for portability...

I expect the 17" MacBook Pro will be named MacBook Pro HD. We saw hints at HD PowerBooks previously, but with the underpowered G4 processor there was probably no way to play back HD content so the name was scrapped. Now that the Core Duo Macs have X1600 GPUs and have excellent QuickTime framerates an HD MacBook is not out of the question.

The X1600 has hardware H.264 decoding and encoding built in although currently it's not used as Apple's driver doesn't support it.

I've been hearing that the 17" could be launched at NAB at the end of April, though it might not be available until a bit later.

Apple came out with the 17" mostly for the use of video editors, for which it has been very popular. So an NAB launch, accompanied by new software and possibly hardware (I'm hearing about some hi-end software, possibly hardware as well), would make complete sense, especially as Apple's Pro editing apps will be ready by then, except, it seems, for Shake.

Originally posted by AppleInsiderOne factor that may prohibit an earlier release of the 17-inch MacBook Pro is the lack of an 8x SuperDrive thin enough to fit in the notebook's enclosure, which is reportedly just as slim as the 15-inch model.

Isn't the 17" PowerBook already an inch thick though? It has always been thinner than the 15" PowerBook and I thought the 15" MacBook Pro is an inch thick just like the 17" PowerBook. Form over function I guess. I doesn't look like Apple designed the MacBook very well. It's more about aesthetics rather than performance. That's the wrong way to be doing things.

My wife and I are big Apple fans. In our favorite mall, in Schaumburg, Ill., the Apple store and Sony Store are essentially across from each other. My wife lives on her 4 year old 15" TiBook, and she's ready for a new machine. An iBook of any kind is out of the question, because she is a physician who lectures, and the Silver form factor looks SO much better than the student iBook looks.

We took a look at ordering the new 15" MacIntel, but she said that she wanted something lighter. She told me that the Apple designers don't have to lug their machines around all day, because if they did, Apple would have updated the 12" notebook first.

I agree, and I'm also willing to pay top dollar for a powerful and smaller notebook. The embarrassing and obvious end to the story is that we went to the Sony Store and saw an 11" VAIO. She practially started dancing for joy in the store. I told her that I'm not convinced that Apple will create a MacBook Pro in that form factor. Without her saying a word, you could feel how cranky she got.

In short, I'm directly appealing to Apple, with the message below:

Quote:

Dear Steve,

Please design a small form factor professional notebook to help make my marriage easier.

Originally posted by melgrossI've been hearing that the 17" could be launched at NAB at the end of April, though it might not be available until a bit later.

Apple came out with the 17" mostly for the use of video editors, for which it has been very popular. So an NAB launch, accompanied by new software and possibly hardware (I'm hearing about some hi-end software, possibly hardware as well), would make complete sense, especially as Apple's Pro editing apps will be ready by then, except, it seems, for Shake.

If the Pro apps are out and scream on intel, then the 17" MacBook Pro is practically a shoe in.

Launching the Mac Pro tower at WWDC isn't a bad idea. This implies that its ready for the coders but not so much for the PhotoShoppers. However I wouldn't be surprised if a future Rosetta update (part of Leopard) helps speed up PowerPC Photoshop. Imagine if PowerPC apps could be bundled with pre-translated code, sparing Rosetta from having to do the dynamic translation? That or code could be tweeked to translate better, etc.

If Apple did come out with an 11" MacBook "nano" expansion slot space will be tight. Would you be willing to give up the optical drive to make room for more expansion slots, or would you keep the drive, but have minimal expansion slots? Something this small would have ethernet, 1 USB 2.0, audio out, and a PCI Express slot.

Originally posted by trobertsIf Apple did come out with an 11" MacBook "nano" expansion slot space will be tight. Would you be willing to give up the optical drive to make room for more expansion slots, or would you keep the drive, but have minimal expansion slots? Something this small would have ethernet, 1 USB 2.0, audio out, and a PCI Express slot.

Yes, kick the optical drive to the curb. An external drive would be nice with a hard carry case for it.

I need ethernet, two USB 2.0, and audio out. An expansion slot to allow for connecting to cell phone internet would be cool but not neccessary.

Originally posted by trobertsIf Apple did come out with an 11" MacBook "nano" expansion slot space will be tight. Would you be willing to give up the optical drive to make room for more expansion slots, or would you keep the drive, but have minimal expansion slots? Something this small would have ethernet, 1 USB 2.0, audio out, and a PCI Express slot.

Why?

Somehow, Sony manages to make an 11", 3lb notebook that doesn't sacrifice the integrated optical drive. It has Firewire, 2USB, Ethernet, modem, WiFi, Bluetooth, video out, mic, headphone, optional EDGE, port replicator jack, and CardBus. They claim the battery life is 4-7.5 hours. Now, an ultra light laptop is going to sacrifice something, here, it requires the ULV CPUs, the current model is 1.2GHz. That's the consequence of wanting an ultra light laptop, a significant part of the weight is the battery required to power the laptop.

The 13" MacBook replaces both the 12" iBook and 12" PowerBook. Available in three configurations from $999 to $1799. Picture the current iBook but with a widescreen display. A design featuring white plastic on the outside and silver aluminum on the inside. A blend of both models that matches the look of the Mac mini.

Meanwhile the 17" MacBook HD or MacBook Extreme takes care of the high-end. Prices ranging from $2799 to $3299 with a 1920x1200 resolution and features lost on the 15" model. Perhaps marking the return of titanium as an enclosure material or maybe a darker or two-tone aluminum finish to further differentiate it.

The 13" MacBook replaces both the 12" iBook and 12" PowerBook. Available in three configurations from $999 to $1799. Picture the current iBook but with a widescreen display. A design featuring white plastic on the outside and silver aluminum on the inside. A blend of both models that matches the look of the Mac mini.

Meanwhile the 17" MacBook HD or MacBook Extreme takes care of the high-end. Prices ranging from $2799 to $3299 with a 1920x1200 resolution and features lost on the 15" model. Perhaps marking the return of titanium as an enclosure material or maybe a darker or two-tone aluminum finish to further differentiate it.

this is good idea blend of white and Alu, may be price starting from $799, $999, $1199

Originally posted by aplnubDon't buy the computer if they don't like it.

You are right, people will complain but I need max battery life, OSX, and a small ultra portable machine in the field at work and that would be the ticket!

I would like to see Apple produce a small machine. But I'm not sure that there is a real market for it.

In my experience, people will say that they want a certain product, but when it is produced, they don't buy it.

A number of companies have produced computers without optical drives, but have found that they aren't popular. People don't want to have to buy a drive to be able to install software, play games, back-up, etc. They think it should be standard.

Apple used to offer machines with bays, so that you didn't have to have that drive, you could install an extra battery, or something else. But that costs more to make, and is even larger, because the bay takes up more room, etc.

If the 3 1/2" format ever took off, it would have been different. I think that it's about time that manufacturers got together, and realized that less storage in a DL DVD recorder that was significantly smaller would be perfect for a portable. As all DVD drives will work with 3 1/2" disks, and very little software installs would need more than what would fit on a DL 3 1/2" disk, companies could offer their stuff on that size.

That would be a good solution, and companies I've spoken to about it agree. But they also say that it's unlikely, at least, at this time. Maybe after Blu-Ray and HD DVD come out with their higher capacities.

Originally posted by melgrossIf the 3 1/2" format ever took off, it would have been different. I think that it's about time that manufacturers got together, and realized that less storage in a DL DVD recorder that was significantly smaller would be perfect for a portable. As all DVD drives will work with 3 1/2" disks, and very little software installs would need more than what would fit on a DL 3 1/2" disk, companies could offer their stuff on that size.

Personally, the most I use the drive on my 12" PowerBook is for ripping CDs. CDs often come on the standard 12cm discs. This really isn't logical at all. What happens when I want to play DVDs on my external monitor?

This is the exact reason it hasn't happened.
This is the exact reason it isn't happening.
Go figure.....

Originally posted by shanmugamthis is good idea blend of white and Alu, may be price starting from $799, $999, $1199

$1799 looks too steep

Well, my pricing was based on the 12" iBook and 12" PowerBook lines merging into the 13" MacBook so it had to cover the full range. Perhaps $1599 for the top of the line 13" MacBook would be more appropriate. Depends on whether or not things like the backlit keyboard are included vs build to order. I doubt $799 would be possible though. Maybe $899 for a really stripped down education-only version with no iSight, DVD-RW, etc.

Originally posted by danielctullPersonally, the most I use the drive on my 12" PowerBook is for ripping CDs. CDs often come on the standard 12cm discs. This really isn't logical at all. What happens when I want to play DVDs on my external monitor?

This is the exact reason it hasn't happened.
This is the exact reason it isn't happening.
Go figure.....

I'm talking about a small portable, not a Macbook pro, or even a new iBook.

This is the machine for all the guys who want a small one (computer, that is).

Aplnub might want something like this. It would use less power than a full size drive. These machines would also come with 1.8" drives instead of 2.5" ones. They also use much less power. These machines might be able to get 8 or more hours of battery life.

For people who just MUST listen to a CD, instead of music they ripped from their cd's, or bought from iTunes, a seperate 5 1/4" drive could be taken, as Aplnub suggests.

But, there isn't any reason to have to listen to a CD these days on a computer, except for the rather rare time when you might by one when on a trip, and just CAN"T wait 'till you get home. Same thing for a movie or Tv show.

Originally posted by melgrossI'm talking about a small portable, not a Macbook pro, or even a new iBook.

This is the machine for all the guys who want a small one (computer, that is).

Aplnub might want something like this. It would use less power than a full size drive. These machines would also come with 1.8" drives instead of 2.5" ones. They also use much less power. These machines might be able to get 8 or more hours of battery life.

For people who just MUST listen to a CD, instead of music they ripped from their cd's, or bought from iTunes, a seperate 5 1/4" drive could be taken, as Aplnub suggests.

But, there isn't any reason to have to listen to a CD these days on a computer, except for the rather rare time when you might by one when on a trip, and just CAN"T wait 'till you get home. Same thing for a movie or Tv show.

You are riight but for one thing. Saying I might is like asking people on this forum if they would like SJ to explain them the 1 year roadmap in detail over dinner in his personal jet to WWDC.

Aplnub MOST DEFINITELY would purchase one. Bet the farm on it Martha...

That is my dream machine but the battery life could be better, dang Mel!!!

Originally posted by deepkidIt's quaint how the name "macbook" doesn't sound as obtuse as it did upon introduction.

But I happen to believe that this 12" powerbook is one of the best laptops ever offered.

If this size format will no longer be offered with pro features, let's hope that the replacement product is sufficient enough to satisfy the many of us who are mad about little tanks.

Like you I'm highly disappointed that there is no talk of a 12in Macbook Pro. Can some one please explain why? I'm under the impression that these maodels sold well and were well received by customers.

Originally posted by 1984Isn't the 17" PowerBook already an inch thick though? It has always been thinner than the 15" PowerBook and I thought the 15" MacBook Pro is an inch thick just like the 17" PowerBook. Form over function I guess. I doesn't look like Apple designed the MacBook very well. It's more about aesthetics rather than performance. That's the wrong way to be doing things.

I think the case for this is that the display portion of the MacBook Pro may be a bit thicker than that of a 17" PB (to make room for the iSight). Obviously, to keep MacBook Pro's thickness the same as the 17" PB, they had to make the body proportionally thinner.

BTW: Does anyone know who makes the optical drive for the MacBook Pro? It doesn't appear to be the usual suspects (Pioneer, Matsushita/Panasonic)

Originally posted by backtomacLike you I'm highly disappointed that there is no talk of a 12in Macbook Pro. Can some one please explain why? I'm under the impression that these maodels sold well and were well received by customers.

If we're really lucky, this could be a super secret Apple rumor that Steve has kept under lock and key.

Steve probably had Schiller and Ive do a blood oath to keep it under wraps.

Intel has delayed release of the Merom core chips. They willbe shipped to system builders by the end of the year, and willbe available in machines early next year. There is also the possibilty of them delaying again (it actually quite common by them)